SantorumBlog

A message from Senator Santorum.

First, let me thank you for your support and your faith throughout this campaign and beyond.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by not only my loving family but so many wonderful supporters committed to the future of our state and our nation.

Although the results were not what we wanted, we couldn’t be prouder of our campaign and the job we’ve done for you and your families. You should be proud too for the hours you spent making calls, knocking on doors, talking to family, friends and neighbors and all the other time you spent thinking about and working on our re-election.

We’re humbled by your devotion and your faith.

My wife Karen and I thank God for the opportunity to have served our nation and the greatest state in the nation. We’ve used that gift to try and do good for Pennsylvania, our nation and our world.

We stood up for the family, for the most vulnerable from the beginning of life to the end of life, and we didn’t forget those in between. We worked for those who are disadvantaged in this country and those who are suffering around the world.

We worked for the greater prosperity of you and your family.

And most important, on the principle that matters more than any other, we didn’t back down from confronting the threat that confronts us from overseas.

People have asked me why I talked about unpopular things like the war … the threat from Islamic fascists, from Iran, from North Korea, from Venezuela … in this campaign. They asked, why didn’t you just talk about the projects you delivered or the things that you accomplished?

My answer is that those are the things in the past, and what leaders are supposed to do is to talk about things that our country confronts in the future.

And I did, and I’m very proud of that. I do not rescind a word because those words are words that this country was not receptive to hear tonight. But, they are going to continue to hear those words from me and I assure you from many others as that threat become my clear, and hopefully our country is called to action to stop that threat before it becomes too serious of a threat to the future of our country.

My time as your U.S. Senator is coming to a close, but I will continue to work for you, and for all of the wonderful people we have met and worked for over the years.

I can’t thank you enough.

God Bless.

-=-=-=-

I’d like to thank the 100K + readers who have been reading SantorumBlog since I started keeping track.

I’d also like to thank my contributors, without their help this would not have been possible.

It’s a bummer that Rick lost, but that’s how elections go.

We’ll be around.

I just came from the Santorum Rally in the Valley held here in Carlisle.  It was a great event.  I would guess there was atleast 150 people, maybe approaching 200, maybe more - tough to tell, but the room was pretty packed - and it wasn’t a tiny room by any means. 

The usual suspects were there to represent the local and state-level delegation.  Also Pat Toomey, Elaine Chao - the Secretary of Labor, John Ashcroft - Former Attorney General were all there for the event.  Lot’s of good speeches. 

The best line of the event goes to Sen. Santorum though.  He was talking about turnout and made this statement - “I don’t know of too many people who are excited to go out and vote for Bob Casey.  I don’t think Bob Casey is excited to vote for Bob Casey.”  The crowd burst out with laughter. 

I had a moment to talk with the Senator and wish him well.  He mentioned how much he appreciated all the pro-Santorum blogs out there.  We are definately winning the blog wars.  Let’s hope that turns into some votes.

Attached are some pictures from the event.  I apologize for some of the pictures being fuzzy - I had to stand towards the back of the room - like I said it was crowded.

Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor

John Ashcroft, Former Attorney General   

Pat Toomey

Sen. Santorum

Sen. Santorum with family and John Ashcroft

Bob Casey has an interesting relationship with the NAACP.

He’s currently a member, which is fine. But that doesn’t really exempt him from skipping out on their events, like a candidate forum. The other three statewide candidates where there. But he claimed he was too busy with Senator Barack Obama in Pittsburgh.

The only trouble is that Obama was in California.

The man who’s schedule is tightly held secret had something else going on. More important than trying to earn the black vote.

And if you’re going to lie about where you were, why would you lie with a very famous Senator who’s on a book tour? Dumb!

In any case, Bobby Casey’s personal financial disclosure form states that he was a member of the NAACP starting in 2000. He let it lapse in 2002, the same year he lost the gubernatorial primary.

But lo and behold, he’s running in a high-profile statewide race again, so he decides to rejoin.

(Click to enlarge)

Imagine, for a moment, if Rick Santorum did something like this. We’d be knee-deep in indignation!

Bob Casey is a political opportunist of the worst kind…

He’s taking the black community to be fools. Not only is he not trying to earn their vote, he doesn’t seem to care about it.

Update: Links & Bumped to top.

Michelle Malkin - Democrat Bob Casey thinks black voters are stupid, too.

Dan Riehl - No doubt the NAACP will be glad to have him back in the fold. But I’m not sure they will be as forgiving for having lost Obama when he was off doing … well, I assume nothing. That appears to be what Casey does best … when he shows up at all.

Betsy Newmark - Casey has a history of joining the NAACP in election years and then letting his membership lapse when the election is out of the way. Do they enjoy being used as long as it is by a Democrat?

That’s what some in Philly ask.

On Friday night, the local NAACP chapter hosted a candidates’ forum where Gov. Ed Rendell and challenger Lynn Swann dropped in, as did Santorum but, much to the dismay of some, Casey was nowhere to be found.

“I am peeved he did not show up,” said J. Whyatt Mondesire, chapter president.

Eleanor Dezzi, a volunteer spokesperson for Casey, said he tried to make the event but was also scheduled for a rally in Pittsburgh with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama that night.

Hmm. All I could find were these two events.

Wednesday October 11th in Pittsburgh

Saturday October 21st in Philly.

There is another Obama “rub off some charisma” rally for Bob Casey planned for this weekend. But last friday?

It doesn’t look it, at least not a public event. Googling around doesn’t yield anything.

Update: Senator Barack Obama was in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA on Friday night.

He had kind of a full day.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is scheduled to appear at rallies at USC Friday on behalf of Proposition 87 and the statewide Democratic ticket.

Obama is expected to be joined by actors Ben Affleck and Salma Hayek in backing Proposition 87, which would raise taxes on oil companies to fund research into alternative energy. Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore also have prominently supported Proposition 87, with both recording TV ads.

Later Friday, Obama will join Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, at a California Democratic Party get-out-the-vote rally.

Update: I just called the Philly NAACP office. The candidates forum was on October 27th.

Why is Bob Casey hiding from Philadelphia’s black community? Where was he friday night? Why hide behind Senator Obama?

Hitching Rick Santorum to George Bush’s policies is one thing (if exactly backwards), but hitching his own star to Barack Obama smells of political opportunism, for one, and cowardice for two. He can’t stand on his own?

-=-=

Dan Riehl links and says…

Then he did a Cut and Run on the NAACP, just like Ben Cardin. Hey, what do we need Blacks for? We get their votes and according to Cut and Run Kerry, those people are only good enough to fight our wars. Welcome to the Democrat Party of 2006, just as elitist and racist as they’ve always been, despite their attempts to couch it in high minded, but ultimately empty rhetoric.

Jonah Goldberg:

That’s just great stuff for the GOP. If he goes to PA, Santorum can cut an ad of Casey and Kerry together with Kerry’s comments bookending the video. If Casey distances himself, the Kerry story has new oxygen. If Casey disinvites Kerry, more oxygen. If Kerry stays away, even more oxygen.

Bob Casey’s Hypocrisy

Scott Ott

Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive 2008 Democrat presidential nominee came under attack today from his own party when Democrats in the Senate introduced a bill that would force him to share his abundant charisma with his colleagues.

“Democrats never like to see an uneven distribution of the good things of life,” said one senate aide who helped to write the legislation. “Sen. Obama has more than his fair share of charisma, while so many senate Democrats go without. It’s not right for so much charm and personality to be in the hands of so few.”

Under the terms of the measure, Sen. Obama’s charisma would be redistributed “to each Democrat senator according to his need.”

In related news, Senator Obama was at Temple University for a rally.

Obama was greeted by a thunderous applause when he took the stage at Temple University’s McGonigle Hall to urge Philadelphians to get out and vote.

Obama praised the likes Governor Ed Rendell and U.S. Senate candidate, Bob Casey Jr.

Local democrat congressional candidates were also on stage with Obama as he was rallying thousands of exuberant supporters.

“It means that at long last we can focus on issues like health care. Bush, Cheyney, Santorum aren’t spending any time of those issues. So we’re going to win, “said U.S. Senate candidate, Bob Casey Jr.

At long last, Mr Casey? You’ve had eighteen month to focus on issues.

If you’re into trivia….

Great ironies permeate Pennsylvania’s major political contests this fall, and more than a few center on the Casey family.

In 1994, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum defeated Democratic Sen. Harris Wofford.

Mr. Wofford first got the job because Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr. appointed him to serve out the term of the late Sen. John Heinz, who died in a plane crash. To earn the right to finish out Mr. Heinz’s term, Mr. Wofford later defeated former Republican Gov. Dick Thornburgh, whose lieutenant governor, Bill Scranton, lost the 1986 governor’s race to Mr. Casey.

Mr. Wofford ran for re-election against Mr. Santorum, who won, many Democrats believe, because Mr. Wofford didn’t have the open backing of Mr. Casey, who was disappointed with the way his appointee voted on pro-life issues in the Senate.

Mr. Casey, who led the charge for a tougher state anti-abortion law, was shunned by Democrats at their 1992 convention because of the party’s steadfastly pro-choice platform.

A dozen years later, fearing the party had become too intolerant of pro-life Democrats, national Democrats turned to the governor’s son, Bob Casey Jr., to run against Mr. Santorum, who might never have won if the governor had backed Mr. Wofford in the first place.